


Baby Venom

by MessengerThief



Series: Venom [2]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Baby symbiote - Freeform, Codependency, Crack Treated Seriously, Future Fic, Implied/ referenced transphobia, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kid Fic, Mpreg, Other, Venom is a good parent, strangely fluffy, venom is a softie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-07-27 04:33:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16211480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MessengerThief/pseuds/MessengerThief
Summary: Spider-Man finds out that Eddie and Venom are expecting.Don't need to have read Part 1 of the series but it does give insight into how I consider Eddie and Venom's relationship to work in this world.





	1. It's Amazing How Such A Little Thing Can Turn The Whole World Around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to admit I don't have a clue where this takes place. Either post Venom movie at some point in the far future or I guess you could technically slide it into gaps between various comics.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Possible homophobia and transphobia. See the bottom of the end notes for more details.

Peter is having a good day, he finished his work before heading out and everything seems to be quiet in the city. Then he sees Eddie Brock standing on a rooftop waving at him. Not a hulking mass of alien goo, just the human looking reporter. Peter knows that that doesn’t make a difference, Venom is always there, even if it doesn’t look like it.

He kind of wants to swing away and ignore this entire situation but it’s not every day Venom’s host starts making friendly overtures. That is, if it’s not a trap.

“Spidey! Get your ass down here, we need your help,” Eddie calls up to him. Well it’s not like he has a choice now. 

“What could you possibly need from me?” Peter asks, perching on top of a water tank. There’s no way he’s getting any closer.

“You’re friends with the Avengers, right? You use their medical facility?” Eddie’s not looking at him as he says it, instead firmly at the ground.

“Why, you sick?” Peter wouldn’t be surprised if Venom was killing Eddie from the inside out, he’s heard that what happened to all the other hosts, but he’s surprised the parasite is allowing Eddie to seek help. 

“Yeah, kind of.” Eddie glances up at Peter and spreads his hands, “Look you gonna help me or not?”

“The kind of where you can’t go to a normal hospital?” 

“My insurance sure as hell wouldn’t cover this,” Eddie says jokingly and Peter wonders if Eddie has cancer, or some disease that Venom can’t cure but then Eddie adds, “I can’t exactly go to a normal hospital with what I got. I need a doctor who isn’t gonna stick us in a lab somewhere. We figure the Avengers patch up you and the Hulk and all the other people with freaky ass powers running around without anyone ending up as a science experiment. They’re the only chance I’ve got alright?” 

“Is it that bad?” Peter drops to the ground, still on his guard but Eddie doesn’t move any closer to him.

“It’s not bad… We just need help. Look you don’t need to help us but I’m pretty sure that if we showed up to Avengers Tower without you the only thing we’re getting is shot.” Eddie sighs and sits down on a wall marking off the edge of a skylight. “I know you’ve got no reason to help us, Pete, but I really wouldn’t be here if I had any other choice.” 

“What’s your slimy-er half saying about this?” 

“He’s not happy but what’s he gonna do?” Peter’s pretty sure that Venom could do a hell of a lot, he’s probably whispering ideas in Eddie’s mind right now.

“I don’t know, eat me?” Eddie laughs at his joke but it’s empty humour. He’s staring at his hands where they’re clasped together in his lap. Peter sighs and sits on top of an air vent across from Eddie. “I know a nurse who patches up the Defenders, if you want to do something less drastic I can take you to her?” He offers. He doesn’t add that the only way Venom is getting within 100 metres of Claire is with all the Defenders there. It’s not great but it’s another option. 

“Thanks, but I think we’re gonna need medical equipment.” Shit that sounds serious.

“Okay, dude, you are seriously gonna have to tell me what’s wrong with you.” 

Eddie nods but doesn’t raise his head or answer. 

Peter gives him a few moments then adds, “That was your cue to tell me what’s up by the way. I get that –”

“We’re pregnant,” Eddie cuts him off. Okay wow. Wow. Peter feels so dumb, Eddie’s probably worried about his girlfriend or the baby being infected by the symbiote or something. No wonder he needs help.

“I was not expecting you to say that. Who’s the lucky girl?” Who the hell is dating a dude who’s half alien? Oh God maybe it was a one-night stand. That’s got to be awkward.

 **"We’re pregnant,”** Venom growls from the still human body. Great so Venom is being creepy and possessive.

Then Eddie’s voice clarifies, “It’s Venom and I’s,” and Peter’s brain straight up stops working.

“But dude, you’re a dude,” Peter manages to get out. 

Eddie laughs at him, “I have noticed that, Pete.” 

“But! What, how?” 

“I have absolutely no idea and Venom is being no help.” Eddie rolls his eyes and gets that weird look where Peter knows a very loud conversation is going on inside his head right now. Eddie grimaces and bites his lip. 

“I’ll help you.” Peter only decides to help when he says it aloud. “You’re really gonna have to explain better though. I am so confused. I though Venom had kids like all the time. Just sort of spawned them.” He goes and sits next to Eddie on the wall, if this is some elaborate trap to get close then Venom deserves to get to eat him, it’s an ingenuitive plan.

“Thank you, Peter.” 

“No biggie.” 

“I really don’t even know where to begin.” 

“The beginning?” 

Eddie looks at him funnily, “You’re such a little shit. You know that, right?” 

“Someone tells me that at least daily,” Peter lets out an over acted and drawn out sigh.

“Just no Rosemary’s baby jokes okay? I’m on edge at the moment.”

“I have no idea what that is.” 

“The horror movie?” 

“Never heard of it. Is it old?”

“It’s a classic.” 

“So old. Right, gotcha.” Peter can’t hold in his smirk anymore, not that Eddie would even see it through the suit. 

“Seriously, kid,” Eddie does a double take and stares at him, “You’re messing with me aren’t you?” 

“Yep. You seemed a little tense.” Eddie shakes his head. Peter starting to feel that Eddie might be an alright guy, when he’s not letting his pet alien eat people.

“So, explain. Alien baby.” 

“Basically, Venom wanted to try something, I didn’t think it would actually work so I agreed. It worked. He wanted a kid that was ours, half human, half symbiote, half me, half him.” Eddie reaches up and rubs his eyes. “Now we’re in this mess.”

“Venom wanted a baby with you?” Peter knows Venom has a big family, lots of symbiote spawn running about the place but this seems different.

“Yeah. He wants us to be a proper family.” An idea occurs to Peter that he honestly wishes that he never thought of. 

“Are you and Venom, like, dating?” 

“That’s one way of putting it,” Eddie grunts out as Peter’s knowledge of everything just self-implodes. And then Eddie makes his struggling brain shut down even more by going, “We’re bonded. Permanently. It’s more like married. He’s half of me. Even if we are apart we can still feel one another. We belong together.” Peter manages to hold in a shiver of revulsion but only because even if he’s pretty sure Eddie is actually a nice guy with the literal worst taste in men ever, he still wouldn’t put it past Venom to eat him at any outward sign of disgust. 

“Woah,” Peter says. Not a pet alien, alien husband. Okay, right. He can deal with this.

“Yeah. I know it’s messed up.” Peter realises that Eddie isn’t looking at him, it’s really looking at anything much. Oh God, is he embarrassed? Peter wonders. Well there are the tentacles, a truly horrific part of Peter’s brain supplies, he’s got to know that’s _weird._ Peter grasps at anything to change the subject. 

“But like how can you be pregnant? Physically.” Immediately he realises that Eddie could take this as a chance to talk about the tentacles and is super grateful the mask is covering the red climbing up his face.

“I’m not sure. I know he did something to our DNA to make it compatible and I know he rearranged stuff. You know, inside us.” 

“Oh my God did he give you girl parts?” Peter hisses, flailing his arms about. 

“Jesus Christ." Eddie looks like he's about to get up and leave. "No. Jesus kid. Your nearly twenty you can say vagina and he didn't just to clarify. Even if he did they wouldn't be 'girl parts' 'cause I'm a guy - You know what? I am not talking about this with you. No, he didn't is your answer and I don’t even know what’s going on. Which is why I need a doctor.” 

Peter contains all the questions he wants to ask. This is probably ten times weirder for Eddie than it is for him. And that is saying something.

“I’ll speak to Tony, he can probably get Bruce to look after you and maybe a couple of doctors. I’ll try to tell as few people as possible. Meet you here this time tomorrow night?” Peter suddenly realises where they are, a rooftop not that far from the tower. Eddie was clearly expecting to go there right away. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.” 

Peter stands up and heads towards the edge of the roof. “You better be here tomorrow, man. If you put me through talking about this with Tony and you don’t show up I’m going to be so mad.” 

He swings away to the sound of Eddie’s laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was largely inspired by reading Venom First Host and wondering what would happen if Eddie and Venom's baby was half human, however you do not need to have read it because by inspired I mean it gave me an idea and I went wild.
> 
> I imagine this to be comic book Peter at around age 18/19. I know technically that in the comics he would probably go to the Fantastic Four for help but all my knowledge of the Fantastic Four comes from the mid 2000s movies, which is not ideal so I just put in the Avengers. You can very easily picture MCU Peter if you want to, I don't think it makes much of a difference. 
> 
> Finally, I put in a reference to the Defenders for shits and giggles basically. I don't think they'll come up again.
> 
>  
> 
> **TRIGGER WARNING:** So just to make it clear that this is story about Eddie, a cis man, having a baby with an alien and while in canon that is generally accepted as not being unusual (gotta love comics) in this fic the other characters sometimes say stupid/not well thought out/offensive things. Eddie also mentions that he is uncomfortable in his body at one point. It's not a lot but it is there. That said even when characters say stupid things I try to make it clear that they're being idiots. Please make sure that this is something you're comfortable with before reading.


	2. You Never Understand Life Until It Grows Inside Of You

**“Why are we here?”** Venom asks. 

They’re on the rooftop waiting for Spider-Man to appear. For some reason they got there early but Eddie can’t remember why now. **Nerves,** Venom hisses somewhere in their brain.

“You know why,” Eddie says while searching the skyline for Spidey’s figure, “We need help.”

**“Unnecessary, I will look after us.”**

“You can be all moody and protective while I look after us by getting us to a doctor. And by ‘us’ I mean me and the baby. Look we need a doctor,” Eddie sighs, “That’s what people do in this situation. Normally.” Finding a doctor, a hospital, that’s what people do when they’re having a baby. Then you paint a nursery and buy way too many nappies in the wrong size. He has friends who have kids, or at least he used to. Doing this is something familiar he can cling onto and they both know it.

**“We are not normal,”** Venom argues. 

“Don’t remind me.” It’s not just about the normalcy, though. That’s probably why Venom isn’t protesting more. This is something no one has done before. There are dangers that maybe Venom hasn’t even thought of. 

“You know,” Peter’s voice comes from nowhere, “I can’t hear the other half of your conversation so you come across as pretty weird.”

Venom snarls, black spreading across their body as they look around them. Peter’s head appears from the fire escape and when the rest of his body is shown Venom notices he isn’t wearing his suit. 

“Can you cut that out?” Peter says, gesturing at Venom’s form. “If we go in the front door with you looking like that – actually I have no idea what would happen. It would probably be bad. Like someone is definitely going to try to kill you.” 

**He might be tricking us,** Venom says inside their mind. Eddie ignores him and shifts them back.

“We’re going in the front door?”

“Well duh. Why do you think I’m dressed like this? I should have told you to meet me on the ground. I’m going to have to climb all the way back down now.” 

**We could jump,** Venom suggests, looking distastefully at the long ladder down.

“Baby on board, darling. No more fun for the next eight months.” 

**Pussy,** Venom says, but Eddie sees it as an endearment by this point. 

“Parasite,” He counters.

“You know I can still hear you right? Like it is still weird,” Peter calls up from below them. He’s considerably further down. How is he so fast?

**Stupid, speedy spider.** Eddie privately agrees as he focuses on looking at where he’s putting his feet without noticing how high he is. Of course, his other hears anyways and chuckles. 

“So, you’re eight months? You’ve known for a month?” Peter asks when they get to the bottom. Eddie nods. “Why come to me now?” 

“Mostly I’ve been freaking out. And we weren’t actually certain that it would work so I lived in denial for at least two weeks. I only really came to terms with it a few days ago.” 

“But why, you know, this? Why not just pump out some more goo like you usually do?” Peter must notice Eddie’s glare because he hastily continues, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, very cute goo. More than one of which has tried to kill me. But hey ho. But the two of you usually seem pretty happy with that. Tell me if all the questions are annoying but like what makes this time different?” 

**You are being VERY annoying,** Venom thinks, but luckily, it’s just inside their head. 

“He wanted something that was ours.” **You wanted it too, Eddie, don’t pretend you didn’t.** “The others were just his and I adopted them.” 

“Hey, I’m adopted. Don’t knock it.” 

“You are?” Eddie can’t keep the note of surprise from his voice. He’s known Spider-Man for years. It seems like it’s something that should have come up. 

“Yep.” Peter stops walking and looks at Eddie, “You know, family is whatever you want it to be.” Eddie assumes that he said was meant to have some grand, meaningful, life altering affect on him. It doesn’t. He’s bonded to a freaking alien. He knows that family is more about finding it than already having it.

“You get that from a fortune cookie, kid?” 

Peter frowns at him. “You’re having an alien’s baby. Alien. Baby. You cannot make fun of me ever again, like, not ever.” 

Eddie hadn’t even noticed that they’d come to Avengers Tower but his other did.

**Dangerous,** He hisses. 

“You can get us out of here if this goes to shit right?” Eddie asked him. In suddenly felt like a question he should have asked before.

“Eh. Probably,” Peter shrugs. He pulls open the door and holds it open for Eddie. “Ladies first.” Eddie can’t even gather the energy to tell him how annoying he is being. Sad thing is he knows its probably going to get worse. 

**I will kill anyone who tries to stop us leaving, my love.**

“Great,” Eddie mumbles. 

“Dr Banner!” Peter waves over an unassuming man in a lab coat, who’d obviously been waiting for them. Wait, that’s the hulk, Eddie thinks. 

“I’m Bruce Banner. Edward Brock?” He holds out his hand. Eddie takes it. 

“Eddie.” Eddie pushes down Venom who is becoming agitated. “You don’t exactly look like what I expected.” 

Bruce chuckles, “Let me guess, less green than you thought?” 

“Well you’re not wrong.” **Stop making fun of the Hulk,** Venom snaps at him, **He is dangerous.**

“I’m not. I’m joking,” Eddie replies. 

“You’re doing it again,” Peter informs him unhelpfully. Venom doesn’t like the way Banner seems intrigued.

The security guard takes one look at Bruce and lets them through to the elevators. 

Once they’re inside Banner adds, “I find that it doesn’t much matter what I look like.” Eddie knows what that’s like, to have everyone see you and be afraid. 

“This is your floor, Peter,” Banner tells him as the elevator stops and opens up onto a high tech lab.

“Wait, what? I’m not coming with him?” 

“Patient confidentiality is a thing you know.”

“You’re my doctor?!” Eddie doesn’t have time to process how his words sound before they’re out there. He feels Venom tense and prepare to emerge. Fortunately Banner just looks amused. 

“What did you think I was?” 

“Eh, security? I thought Stark sent you too keep me in line?” 

Banner turns around to face Peter who looks suspiciously sheepish. 

“Peter…” 

“Alright! Technically Mr Stark doesn’t know that you’re here. I told Dr Banner what was up and we asked FRIDAY for permission. You said you didn’t want to be experimented on so I thought that this was a good idea.” 

“Stark would experiment on us?” **Run,** Venom growls but thankfully he doesn’t take over.

Banner sighs and rubs a hand through his hair. 

“Tony wouldn’t experiment on you, he’d just run about a thousand unnecessary tests,” Banner explains. He looks over and takes in Eddie’s expression. “You can leave if you want.” 

“No, we’ll stay,” Eddie decides. He can practically see Dr Banner take in the use of ‘we’ but besides being the Hulk Eddie knows he’s a genius and one of the smartest people on the planet. We’re probably safest with him as crazy as that sounds, Eddie tries to communicate to Venom. His symbiote just huffs. “Let’s go on up Doc. Bye, Pete.” 

Peter shakes his head and raises his hand in goodbye as he walks off. 

“I’ve cleared a med bay for us,” Banner says to fill the silence as the elevator moves up. 

**Why do they need more than one?**

“I have no idea,” Eddie mutters.

“Here we are,” Dr Banner leads them into a large room that looks like any other doctor’s office, “Do you do that often? Speak to it?” 

“Out loud not so much. In my head all the time.” 

“How?”

“We can read one another’s minds.” 

“Constantly?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Huh. Pease sit.”

**He looks like he’s talking notes inside his head. Or maybe… Do you think his other speaks to him?**

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“Sorry. Not speaking to you. Although we were wondering if you spoke to the Hulk?” 

“You know no one’s ever asked me that before? He doesn’t but I can sense him when I focus.” Banner types something onto a Starkpad. “How would you describe living with its constant presence?”

Eddie shifts uncomfortably. 

“I didn’t think this was a psych eval.” 

“Honestly, I’m not sure what this is.”

“Did Peter not tell you?” Explaining this to him is going to suck. He was counting on Peter getting the embarrassing bit over with. 

“No, he told me. What I mean is I think we can agree the situation is not exactly typical. Somehow, I have 7 PhDs and none of them qualified me for this. Technically I don’t even have a doctorate in medicine although I keep meaning to get it. That said there’s probably no one else on the planet who can help you with this. So my plan is to check that you’re of sound mind, run some tests and hope for the best. Sound good?” 

“What kind of tests?” 

“We ran a full body scan when you entered the building, and FRIDAY has been monitoring your body temperature, heart rate and well, basically all major bodily functions.” Banner gestures towards his Starkpad. “This has got pretty much everything I need to know. I haven’t looked at it yet. I’ve got paperwork for you to fill in before I actually start treating you. Once I do the only other thing I’d like to do is an ultrasound and an MRI.” 

**“NO!”**

Eddie jerks forward and only just manages to stop Venom from trying to flip the desk in front of them over. Banner shifts further away from them in his chair. 

“Maybe a no to the MRI?” 

“I think you’re probably right,” Banner agrees. “Can you explain to me exactly how you go pregnant?” The question is obviously a distraction but Eddie answers it gratefully. 

“So you aren’t transgender?” Banner asks casually. 

“What? No. Haven’t you checked that?” Great we’ve got a doctor who can’t even do background checks, Eddie thinks dejectedly. 

“Sorry, it’s what I assumed when Peter told me. It was the most ration explanation. And I feel uncomfortable invading someone’s privacy without their permission. It’s happened to me often enough. Although I have to admit now I really am curious. Do you mind if I…” He gestures towards the Starkpad again, obviously itching to go look up whatever scans the AI has been running. 

“Go ahead. Guess you gotta know what everything that’s going on. It ain’t exactly normal though. I’ve gotta tell you that.” 

Banner manages to keep his face impressively passive as he reads through whatever’s on the tablet but Eddie notices that one of his eyebrows is twitching.

**Okay detective, what does that mean then?** Eddie doesn’t bother replying. His other knows he doesn’t have a clue if its good or bad either.

After a few minutes Banner put the Starkpad down and looks over at them. His eyebrows raise minutely. 

“From the scans it looks like there’s a protective shell inside of you, like a cocoon or an egg. It also seems like the baby has switched forms while inside it, multiple times since you’ve been here. Does that sound about right?” 

“The egg thing yes, he told me. I didn’t know about the switching.” 

The question of what exactly their child will be has entered Eddie’s mind. He knows he’ll love it no matter what, because he already does, they both already do, but some monstrous images have been playing through his head. Every horrific and deformed possible combination of him and his other. 

“It seems to switch between symbiote and human form which is fascinating because you don’t seem very far along. It’s nowhere near fully formed.” 

“We’re about a month.” 

“Well I’d say you’re progressing at a normal rate. Or at least its as developed as a human baby that age would be. If you can come through we can get the paperwork sorted and run a few more tests. 

Think is going to be embarrassing, Eddie thinks. 

**You brought us here,** Venom snarks back.

And it is but not as bad as he thought it would be. Even the paperwork was fine, a waiver if anything should go wrong and various forms of ‘do not speak about this anywhere or the combined might of the Avengers will crush you.’ Not as bad as he was expecting. Banner leads them back into the office they were in originally. 

“To the best of my professional opinion I think you’re fine. Or fine ish. Physically fine. Mentally you are totally reliant on an unexamined alien species and seem to be in an unhealthy codependent relationship with it but children have been born into worse. I guess my advice is the same as it would be for any pregnant woman, eh person? Being inhabited by an alien organism who happens to be pregnant with its child? Anyways, my point is get plenty of sleep and eat well. And I should have my doctorate in medicine sorted by your next appointment.”

Eddie pauses. 

“Doc, you do know telling us to eat well is a bit different than for most people, right?” 

Banner pales. “Is that your only option?” 

“Nah,” Eddie lies. Banner doesn’t look convinced. “Seriously its fine. We’ll track down a horse or some shit.” 

“Bye then,” Banner says but he doesn’t look convinced. 

“See you soon,” Eddie calls back as he legs it towards the elevator.

**Love, we’re not doing that.**

Eddie rests his head against the wall. 

“No, we’re not.”


	3. Every Child Begins The World Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Trigger Warning** Lots of discussion of eating people. So much. Also Eddie is feeling very uncomfortable in his body.

Venom burps in his face and Eddie struggles to fight against the nausea that rises up. Pregnancy sucks. No one told him about the cravings or the morning sickness or the way he’ll crave something, smell it, realise it was disgusting and have to puke. Immediately. In fact Banner told him that it was unlikely he would have most pregnancy symptoms but that turned out to be completely wrong. Apparently, much like Venom, what baby wants, baby gets. Even if this case it’s human eyes. 

**“Yum,”** Venom says, before slinking back under Eddie’s skin, and another wave of nausea hits, this time because of the whole eating people thing. Actually, he’s over the eating people thing, the craving specific body parts thing is definitely a new level of weird he’s not comfortable with though. 

He gets out his phone and texts Doctor Banner with a quick, ‘human eyes?’ and then puts it back in his pocket. He’s fairly certain Banner knows what they’re up to at this point, if they ever fooled him in the first place, but for some reason he’s turning a blind eye. 

Banner is turning out to be a God send because it’s abundantly clear Venom doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing. For a species that has asexual reproduction he’s probably doing pretty well and Banner keeps on talking about something called DNA splicing and what it will mean for the future of humanity but it doesn’t really counteract the fact his body is not built for carrying a baby. Venom is at least partially wrapped around the weird egg thing at all times to stop it pressing down on their organs. Also, if he and Venom are separated from one another it’s unlikely that Eddie or the baby will survive which is a wonderful thought. As if Eddie wasn’t freaking out enough.

 **Shhh, love. It’ll be fine.**

Eddie’s shoves the remainders of what was once a human being into the garbage and tries not to think about any of it. His phone buzzes as he walks back along the street towards their apartment but he ignores it. 

He’s got his arms folded over his torso in a way he knows looks weird but he can’t stop doing. Everything just feels a bit fragile at the minute. He’s terrified that one of the thugs they take out will land a luck kick just below his rib cage or someone will see the small, strange bulge in his torso just below his ribcage if the wind flattens his hoodie too much. Both of which are ridiculous because Venom wouldn’t let anyone close enough to kick them and no one is going to look at his hoodie rumpling weirdly and think ‘oh, he’s having a baby.’ 

Venom remains suspiciously quiet, as if he’s trying to give Eddie space which Eddie appreciates but he’s also not entirely certain if he wants space or not. This whole thing is becoming completely overwhelming. 

When they make it back to his apartment Eddie remembers that he’s gotta eat, finish cleaning the bathroom and assemble a crib before he gets to sleep. He sets about the food first because the hunger is back already even though it’s been less than half an hour since they were slurping some guys eyes out of a head in an alley way before devouring the rest of him. Just because the poor bugger had the misfortune to try to mug him. The guilt makes him feel sick again but he holds it in. If they puke they’ll just need to go out again later. This eating for three thing is getting ridiculous. 

**You need to reply to Banner before he worries about us and you need to stop ignoring Anne and tell her about the baby before it arrives,** Venom reminds him. Eddie doesn’t miss the strategic use of the word you.

Eddie tugs out his phone while the first batch of food is in the oven and reads it. 

‘I have no idea. Call me.’ 

Eddie signs and calls him. If he waits Banner will just send Spidey after him. If he hasn’t already. 

“Hey, Doc. What’s up?” 

“Eddie, please tell me you didn’t just kill someone?” Eddie grimaces and is grateful Banner can’t see his face. 

“Course not, just feeling peckish. You were the one who said we should tell you about our cravings.” Some nonsense about the body instinctually craving whatever it was lacking during pregnancy which he’s sure is bullshit because Dan said Anne would have happily ate only pickles covered in chocolate for her entire pregnancy. 

**Chocolate** As usual his other is being very helpful.

“Shut up you,” Eddie says aloud.

“Pardon?” Eddie realises that it probably sounds like Venom was about to drop them in it for the eating people thing and Eddie told him to shut up. 

“Eh we’re wanting chocolate now too? Any idea what that is?” 

“Eyeballs and chocolate. I’ve got to tell you I’m stumped. Are you sure that not just what you normally want to eat?” 

“Chocolate, yes, Venom’s addicted. Specific… body parts, no.” 

“’Specific’?” Does Banner sound freaked out? Banner sounds freaked out.

**That’s a lie. You like the liver.**

“Ew, no I don’t.”

**You do.**

Eddie stops replying before it becomes a pantomime. Banner’s already heard enough to work it out for himself.

“Look, Venom has preferences but I don’t usually have them too. Is this a thing?”

Great, Eddie, the Doc know that you sometimes enjoy eating people. Say hello to the crazy house, Eddie thinks to himself but Venom hears it anyways.

**More than sometimes.**

“Will you shut up!”

“Are you okay?” Banner sounds worried, as he probably should be. 

“We’re not having a good day and I need to call our only friends and tell them I’m having a baby, with an alien, where they will probably decide that this is enough and we’re just too weird to hang around with anymore.” Not that they physically spent much time together anymore, since the whole moving back to New York thing. 

**I didn’t want to move,** Venom reminds him.

Can you for once in your life just give me a second of peace and quiet? Eddie snaps at him inside their head and immediately regrets it as he feels Venom’s hurt.

“Do you want to come in tomorrow, Eddie?” Banner asks, “Just for a chat. You don’t sound like you’re doing so well.”

“Yeah well we all have bad days. Hey, can we get hormonal?”

“No. However it does sound like you’re incredibly stressed. I know I recommended telling friends and family but you don’t need to right now. Do it in your own time.” 

“If I did it when I wanted to Doc it’d never get done.”

Venom shows him an image of sending them a Christmas card with the three of them on the cover and imagines Dan and Anne’s faces looking at it. Probably for some dumb show Venom loves to watch.

“We gonna be a Christmas card family babe?” I’m sorry, you heard Banner, I’m stressed.

**It’s okay.**

“Eh, do you want me to go?” Banner asks. Eddie knows he feels like he’s intruding a lot of the time. Eddie tried to explain that it felt like the rest of the world was just on the periphery sometimes, not nearly as important as what was going on in his head. Banner had seemed confused so Eddie had tried to explain how he was always trying to hold two conversations at once and the one with whoever wasn’t Venom felt distracting sometimes but Banner had just looked increasingly worried so he shut up. He’d never been able to explain how it’s really a good thing. Banner seem like the kind of guy who’d hate having someone in his head, but then Eddie would have said that once. Still everyone else seemed to manage to just keep on interrupting until Eddie gave them attention, Banner on the other hand was always hesitant. 

“No, it’s fine. I’m just gonna call them now and get it over with.” 

“Alright. Bye Eddie.” 

**He never says bye to me,** Venom huffs. 

“I think we make him uncomfortable. He’s probably imagining having the Hulk talking to him all the time.” Or maybe it’s the whole alien human relationship thing. Still he didn’t have problem with Thor so that was just racist. Speciesist? Whatever, it was rude.

 **The Hulk is stupid. I am not stupid. And we are good together.**

Venom appears from Eddie collar bone and nudges their arm towards the phone. 

**Go on. We can do this.**

“It’s ‘we’ now, huh?” Eddie teases as he dials. 

“Hey! Good to hear from you, man. Anne and I were just saying you’d gone quiet. Hang on I’m putting you on speaker.” 

“Hi, Eddie!”

“Hey, yeah we’ve been meaning to call but it’s been pretty busy. How’re the twins?” 

“We’re well into the terrible twos and let me tell you they are aptly named,” Dan jokes. 

“How many times has he used that line?” Eddie asks Anne. 

“Oh God, you don’t want to know.” 

**“Not very funny.”**

“Yeah well everyone’s a critic.” 

“Actually I’ve, eh, well we’ve got some news,” Eddie takes a deep breath and Venom gently nudges him in the neck, “How would the twins like a little cousin?” 

“EDDIE WHAT?! Who did you get pregnant??” Anne doesn’t sound mad but this might be the most surprised he’s ever heard her. 

**“I got Eddie pregnant.”**

Eddie hears Dan mutter ‘what the fuck’ and there seems to be stunned silence from Anne. It’s not like they didn’t know what the two of them got up to, after all Anne was there for their first kiss. 

“Do you need a doctor?” Dan asks as Anne stars swearing softly. 

“Eh, no we’ve got that covered although he did want to speak to you.” 

“Who is your doctor?” Dan sounds more surprised about that than the whole baby thing which is comforting. 

“Doctor Banner?” Eddie mumbles realises that he sounds like a kid getting told off and clears his throat, “Doctor Bruce Banner, you know, with the Avengers?” 

“I thought you didn’t get along with the Avengers after the whole Spider-Man thing?” Anne thinks that Spider-Man mistakenly assumed that Venom was eating people due to a series of misunderstandings that Eddie was eventually able to clear up. Venom and Eddie haven’t corrected Anne’s belief that he’s able to stop Venom from eating people. Which actually isn’t wrong necessarily, he can stop Venom, just he no longer seems to care that much about stopping him. Especially recently when they’re the hungriest they’ve ever been. Besides he knows that at Anne has to be running off about 90% denial after she too ate someone as Venom and knows what the hunger feels like. He’s also pretty sure Dan is in denial at this point too. Seriously who did they think the serial killer who killed people who tried to rob from the homeless was? Especially when the killings stopped when he and Venom moved to New York? They’re not journalists but they’re intelligent. Then again maybe deep denial is better than thinking of your friend as a serial killer. Shit, when did I become a serial killer? Eddie wonders, feeling sick, again. Venom is studiously ignoring him.

“Anne, they have the Hulk being their obstetrician.” 

“Yes, Dan, I heard. Now I want to know if they’re going to get shipped off to some facility where we never see them again.” 

“Nah, turns out Spidey is actually a pretty cool guy? I explained the situation and he helped us out.”

There’s silence on the other end of the phone.

“When’s the due date?” Anne asks.

“Eh, a couple of weeks?” 

“That is perfect, we’ve both taken three weeks off for Christmas holidays staring next week so we’ll come visit then.” 

**”She’s using her lawyer voice,”** Venom points out . There’s no way they’ll win in an argument against her.

“Damn, right I am. We’ll see you soon. And Eddie?” 

“Hm, yeah?” 

“Congratulations. You’re going to make an amazing father.” 

“Hey, Dan you’re okay with this?” 

“Man, the Hulk wants to speak to me. I am beyond okay with this. Can we see Avengers Tower?” 

“It’s not that exciting,” Eddie tells him which is totally undermined by Venom going,

**“It’s really cool.”**

“Well we better go now. Time difference. You two need your sleep,” Dan says.

“Jesus, babying us already?” 

“Get used to it. I mean two weeks to go? You could’ve told us sooner.” 

“Didn’t really feel ready.” Plus the whole situation is embarrassing. 

“Know what, fair enough. Can’t wait to see you. I mean it about the sleep.” 

“Yeah, yeah, bye guys.” 

“Bye!” 

Venom takes over and puts the phone down for them. He slips comfortingly back under Eddie’s skin. 

“That went well.” 

**They don’t hate us.**

“You worried about that too?” 

**Only friends who know about me. Everyone else is your friend, not mine.**

“Finally warmed up to Dan?” 

**I would eat him without hesitation.**

Eddie laughs and goes and gets their food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Symbaby


	4. Babies Are Such A Nice Way To Start People

Turns out having a baby is not easy, even when the alien inside you is doing most of the work. That had been both Banner and Dan’s first question, after the shock abated, how was he going to physically pop out a baby? They asked in far more medical terms but that was the gist. Both times Venom showed them by holding up Eddie’s arm and slowly phasing a hole through it, very slowly because it was not something they practiced often and wouldn’t have been possible for a symbiote any less connected to their host than the two of them were. 

Anne, Dan and the kids showing up had pretty much ensured that they weren’t eating properly for the last week which was added stress. When Anne had seen him again she’d slapped him then hugged him with was about what he was expecting. Besides that, it was nice to just relax and enjoy the company. Then Venom began doing that pesky thing where he got hungry enough to start eating Eddie’s organs again and Dan rushed them to Avengers Tower while Anne stayed with the kids. 

When they arrive in Banner’s lab Eddie passes out for a bit and wakes up to Banner passing him a baby shaped bundle of goo. Eddie watches as the black fades out to leave a skin tone that’s pink and purple but he thinks that might be normal for newborns. It still feels like Venom, soft and kind of springy, but while Venom adjusted quickly to room temperature the bundle in his arms is hot, giving off slight body warmth. 

Venom? Eddie asks in his thoughts, it was suspiciously quiet and he was trying not to think about what that might mean. 

**Here, love. Tired.**

“Sleep. I got this,” Eddie whispers back, “So beautiful.” 

“Eddie, we think it’s a girl. As far as we can tell,” Dan tells them. Venom doesn’t even take in the information before going into hibernation mode. That kind of thing isn’t really important on his planet and Eddie himself can hardly bring himself to care, he’s just glad she’s here, healthy and that they’re all alive. 

Their daughter. He thinks she’s cute but he might be biased. She’s smaller than he expected. Banner had said it was hard to get a good grasp on what was going on inside the egg, mainly because Eddie and Venom hadn’t allowed anything more invasive than an ultrasound. They hadn’t even managed to work out the gender but it wasn’t like it mattered, the only thing it would affect was the name. Oh God, they need to pick a name. 

She wriggles and squeals a bit, her hands turning black and melting and Eddie watches entranced. Instinctively he rocks her in his arms a little bit and she seems to snuggle into him, her hands reappearing as she waves them in the air. It’s adorable. 

Eddie hears a laugh and looks up. Dan seems to be holding together pretty well but Banner looks a little worse for wares, he’s smiling nervously. 

“You okay, Doc?” Eddie asks Banner. 

“Yeah, I just wasn’t expecting her to be cute?” 

“Hey,” Eddie snaps, and the growl in his voice is all him, no Venom. 

“That’s not what I meant. I meant this is kind of adorable.” 

“Should we be taking photos?” Dan asks and Banner laughs again. Eddie shrugs and looks down at his daughter, their daughter, once more. He can’t seem to look away for any length of time. 

FRIDAY chimes in that she’s already recorded the whole thing and that makes Eddie feel distinctly weird in a way he’s never felt before, which is in itself strange because he spends a lot of his life being weirded out, but he decides that he just cannot bring himself to care. Banner shakes his head and walks away, muttering something about Tony’s paranoia. 

“Annie’ll be here in an hour or so. I’m gonna go and take over babysitting duty now.” Eddie barely even registers Dan leaving because the baby has just started whimpering softly and he has no idea what to do. Rocking her isn’t working her this time. 

“Maybe she’s hungry?” Eddie flinches at the unexpected voice but calms down when it’s just Peter. Hanging from the ceiling, looking every bit like he’d snuck into the room. 

“Kid, I do not think sneaking up on us right now is a good idea,” Eddie warns him. Unfortunately, him jumping seems to have freaked out the baby even more. 

“Ooops,” Peter says, dropping to the ground. He manages to look completely innocent. It’s annoying. “But seriously, your hubby is always hungry and don’t babies need to breastfeed straight away?” 

Eddie tries to find a way to explain how dumb Peter’s being but is utterly lost for words, he ends up looking down at his bare torso, which had kind of disintegrated earlier – if he remembers correctly in between all the passing out – and while that might be cool and alien, it didn’t seem to have given him breasts. Thank God. He looks back up at Peter and tries to convey all of this with a glare. 

Peter rolls his eyes and comes closer, “I didn’t mean you. Like, baby formula or something.” He reaches out to touch her but Eddie blocks him. 

It’s reflexive because he doesn’t want him near her, but in the process of pushing Peter back he managed to jostle her, so for the first time she opens her mouth to scream. And there are teeth. They’re human looking but Eddie’s pretty certain newborns aren’t supposed to have any. He’s willing to bet they’re sharp. 

“If you wanna keep your fingers I don’t think touching her is a good idea.” 

Peter’s eyebrows go up. 

“That’s wicked!” He yells, freaking her out even more. She is properly crying now. 

“Seriously?” Is all Eddie manages to ask him before al his focus gets taken up with shushing her. Are babies supposed to cry this much? “Peter, go get Banner for me.” 

Peter takes off at a sprint. Only after he’s gone does Eddie realise his voice was filled with panic. Oh God, he’s panicking. He can’t do this. Why did he ever want kids? He can hardly cope with one life being dependant on him and he thought he’d add another? What was he thinking?

**“Shhh, love. Calm.”**

Venom appears from his forearms and snuggles his way around their child. Eddie knows that he’s talking to both him and their daughter. 

Banner and Peter come rushing in looking worried. 

“What’s wrong?” Banner asks them.

Venom weirdly seems to be less protective than Eddie because he wants to push them away, they’re standing too close. **No need, symbiotes can protect themselves from birth.**

“Symbiote babies can, human babies can’t,” Eddie snaps at him. Venom shifts beneath his skin, moving to the side facing Peter and Banner. Clearly the thought that their daughter might be more fragile than most symbiotes hadn’t occurred to him. Eddie hears the **human, delicate, breakable** flash through his other’s mind and snorts. Venom’s head appears from Eddie’s neck and Eddie can feel that he’s trying to scare Banner and Peter, never mind that Banner is nigh unkillable and Peter is their friend. 

**“She needs food. NOW,”** Venom orders. 

“Any idea what she’d eat?” Banner asks, without a trace of fear, and that seems to stop Venom in his tracks. He turns his face towards Eddie.

“Let’s just start with milk and go from there,” Eddie suggests. How did no one ever think of this? Seriously in all of their extensive preparation no one thought to think about food. Then again if she’d anything like Venom she’ll probably eat anything. 

Banner nods and drags Peter out of the room. The kid still has this look on his face like he’s just seen the coolest thing ever. Eddie really needs to introduce him to Dan, they both seem to have a weird fascination with the symbiote. 

**“She’s so beautiful, Eddie.”** Venom’s voice interrupts his thoughts, taking them back to what he should be focused on: their daughter. Eddie agrees with his other silently, too busy watching his other half cradle their child to reply properly. Oh yeah, this was why they wanted a family, for this moment right now. 

“You know,” Tony Stark interrupts from the doorway, “When FRIDAY told me Peter and Bruce were up to something this was… not what I was expecting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats! You've made it! The baby has arrived! I know a lot of people were expecting Sleeper but this fic is completely AU. Although hold that thought because I have plans for him. 
> 
> Speaking of Sleeper the wonderful [punkyiggy](https://www.instagram.com/p/BpCimvgAQ_I/?taken-by=punkyiggy) has amazing concept art of how they think he would look that I'm totally in love with. Because you can never have too many Venom/Eddie kids AUs in your life, especially if they're beautifully drawn.


	5. A Baby Is A Bundle Of Hope

**I don’t like Stark**

Eddie mumbles his agreement and goes back to rocking their daughter. Or tries to. He’d initially thought that her having a more Venom type consistency was dependant on her moods. She is upset, she cries, she melts, therefore when she is upset she melts. Eddie just needed to keep her happy. He wasn’t entirely wrong; the change definitively has something to do with her emotions but apparently its all of them. 

To make it worse when she is in symbiote form she’s just sort of there. A thick, gloopy substance that moves and squirms a little but not much else. This of course means that if Venom wasn’t there Eddie would’ve dropped her at least ten times by now. It also means Venom and Eddie are the only ones able to hold her. Eddie’s fairly sure he slept standing up last night, with Venom cradling her to their chest. Still, it could be worse, she could be able to move about like Venom does and that would be a disaster and a test of parenting skills Eddie’s pretty sure he would fail. 

If he isn’t already failing. She giggles in his hands in a way that sounds bright and Eddie can’t understand it because voices don’t sound bright, that’s just weird, but he can’t get to enjoy it before she changes and slips through his fingers. 

“Venom!” Eddie yells but his other has already caught their baby. Venom deposits her back into his arms and Eddie goes and sits down on the part of the floor that they’ve made into a play area. If she falls from his lap she won’t get hurt - probably.

**I won’t let her get hurt.**

“Is that easier or harder than trying to hold onto soap?” Stark’s voice comes from behind them. God, how long had Stark been standing there like a creep? Actually, Eddie thinks, most likely since Venom decided randomly to say he didn’t like the billionaire. So, ages, great.

 **“Stark”** Venom growls. Eddie ignores the both of them. 

“Okaaay, so Bruce thinks that you’re fine, baby’s fine, weird alien hubby is fine. I however am going to request you stay in one of the tower apartments for the foreseeable future. We have the facilities here to care for the little tyke.” 

Eddie breathes a sigh of relief and thanks Stark. 

“No problem. It’s been weirdly fun having you guys around. Watching you freak out every ten minutes has been entertaining. I’ve had FRIDAY make her a montage for when she’d older. Plus the scientific advancements she entails are amazing. Big bonus for our bio-division.” 

**“Watch it. No more experimenting on her,”** Venom snaps. Eddie doesn’t say anything. Turns out that her DNA might be helpful to figuring out what happened to Peter when that spider bit him and if he might have to deal with any side effects in the future. They’re the only two cases of successful DNA splicing in the future. And, as he found out after doing some research during her first and only successful nap so far, the specific Stark Industries bio-division dealing with superhuman advancements is Dr Banner. He is the only one working in that particular sector of Stark Industries and Eddie wonders if it only exists so Dr Banner has the funding to examine his own condition. Generous of Stark. 

“Sure,” Stark agrees to Venom’s demand easily, in a way both Venom and Eddie know is a lie but are too tired to question. Stark plonks himself down next to them and stares at the baby. “So got a name yet?” 

“Not really had time.” 

**Symbiotes pick their own name.**

You went with Venom? Eddie asks him inside their head. Is that a translation or what?

**Picked one when I came to Earth, from first host’s mind. Old one doesn’t make sense here.**

“I never realised how freaky it was seeing the two of you talk like that. You’re so obviously having a conversation with someone but no one’s there.” 

Eddie shrugs. 

“Normally we try to be more discreet or whatever. No point here.” Stark nods at that.

“So names?” 

“Why do you care?” Eddie asks him. He can see Stark evaluating him. 

“Off the record?” He says jokingly but he sounds nervous. Eddie smiles and nods at him. “I’m broody.” 

Eddie senses venom’s shock and it matches his own. 

“You? Are we talking about the grumpy sense of the word or, babies?” 

“It’s really that surprising?” Stark laughs and shakes his head. “Tony Stark: babies on the brain, if only dad could see me now. Pep and I’ve been talking about it. She’s too old, well I’m getting too close to the uncomfortable side of middle aged, while she’s barely hit it but, you know, too old in a ticking biological clock kind of way. According to the doctors, at least. We’re thinking IVF. Maybe. Honestly, I feel sorry for the poor kid already, Pepper’s not exactly maternal and I’m me but people have been born to worse.” 

The implication there of course is that Eddie and Venom’s daughter is one of those people. Eddie lets it slide, it’s clear Stark meant it as a joke and Eddie’s not entirely sure that he’s wrong. 

**He is wrong, love.**

“Anyways, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at baby names recently. So if you need ideas…” 

“Actually, we do.” She needs a name, darling, he thinks at his other, we need to pick one. 

Eddie’s expecting Stark to start listing them off but he doesn’t. He doesn’t say anything.

**“What would you pick?”**

Stark doesn’t jump at Venom rising up from where he’d been wrapped around their child. He looks at Venom like he’s an actual person which neither of them had felt like recently, even Dan and Anne after the baby news were backing to looking at them weirdly. 

“Back when we thought getting pregnant would be easier than it turns out its going to be I really wanted a name that meant joy or happiness, you know? Good start and all that. There’s a whole load: Carol, Isaac, Leda, Aliza, Felicia, Felicity, Felix, Asher, Gail, Naomi, Abigail-”

**“Abigail.”**

“Like that one?” 

**Mhmmm** Venom sinks down into Eddie’s skin. Their daughter – Abigail – watches and laughs brightly again. She waves a little hand into the air that thankfully stays pink. 

Stark laughs and she turns her head to look at him. “Hey baby girl. Your name means ‘father’s joy’, know that? Little sanctimonious for my taste, lot of pressure to put of a six-day old but your dads seem to like it.” 

“No pressure,” Eddie tells her, “You can be whatever you want.” 

**Bring joy already.** Venom knows, of course, from Eddie’s memories that the ‘father’ in question is probably referring to God like many names do but he doesn’t really get religion and decides to take it literally. Eddie doesn’t mind. 

“Well this got too soppy all of a sudden so I’ll be going now.” Stark stands up with Abigail’s eyes still watching him. “Bye baby. Remember to pee on your daddies when they change your diaper.” Abigail giggles as if she understands him and waves a hand – nope, a tentacle at him. Of course, the baby likes Stark. Of fucking course. 

“Hey! Stark,” He turns back towards them and Eddie continues, “It’s worth it. If you’re not sure if IVF and all that… it’s worth it. We’d do anything for her, to keep her safe, and when she laughs its perfect.” 

**”Stick with joy names. Accurate.”** Venom says as he emerges from Eddie’s wrist to deal with the baby trying valiantly to wiggle in the direction of Stark, she kind of looks like wobbling jelly, if it was squished. **Mean, Eddie.** Didn’t mean it like that, love. 

“I’ll keep that in mind guys.” Eddie nods in response and turns back to his family. 

He misses Stark’s calculating gaze.


End file.
